Performance Task: Compiling Freaky Frog Books | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G3:M2:U3:L12

Performance Task: Compiling Freaky Frog Books

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • W.3.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
  • W.3.4: With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
  • W.3.6: With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
  • W.3.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
  • W.3.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
  • L.3.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can organize my writing from the module and my trading card into an eye-catching information book. (W.3.2, W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.6, W.3.8, W.3.10, L.3.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Complete Freaky Frog book and trading card (W.3.2, W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.6, W.3.8, W.3.10, L.3.6)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Completing Trading Card (15 minutes)

B. Organizing Information into Freaky Frog Books (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Small Groups: Trading Card Game (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. None 

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students finish their trading cards by adding the bullet points containing key information and the scoring system. Then they organize all of their writing and their trading card into a Freaky Frog book, including the contents page created in Lesson 7 and the front and back covers designed in Lesson 9.
  • Students use their trading cards to play a game in the Closing. See the Performance Task Overview for directions to the game.
  • Students who finish quickly or require an extension can create a trading card for a different frog from Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures.

How it builds on previous work:

  • Students' work culminates in this lesson as they add the final touches to their Freaky Frog book.
  • Continue to use Goals 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas where students may need additional support:

  • Some students may require additional support to ensure the information on their trading card is clear enough to play the game.
  • Some students may need additional time to finish all aspects of their book. If a number of students need more time, consider dividing this into two lessons.
  • Students may need support playing the card game. This may require special preparation about what it looks like to enjoy playing a game in which there will be only one winner, and how the winner and other players should behave and why.

Assessment Guidance:

  • Students will need the final draft of their Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog, completed in Lesson 11 for the End of Unit 3 Assessment. Ensure that feedback is included on the assessment.
  • Student writing has been assessed using rubrics throughout the module.
  • Collect students' Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences homework practice from Lessons 10 and 11. See Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences homework practice (answers, for teacher reference).

Down the road:

  • Consider visiting other grade 2 and grade 3 classes to provide students with the opportunity to share their Freaky Frog books and trading cards.

In Advance

  • Prepare End of Unit 3 Assessments with feedback to be returned to students in this lesson.
  • Students will need to staple their books together. Ensure that the classroom is equipped with a stapler and an adequate supply of staples. See the Performance Task Overview for how the books should be stapled and how to make a pocket for the trading card.
  • Post: Learning targets.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Students could use an online trading card creator to create their trading cards--for example, ReadWriteThink.
  • Work Time B: Students could organize their work into an online book using sites such as My Storybook or flipsnack.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 3.I.B.8, 3.I.C.10, 3.I.C.12, 3.II.C.7.

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to celebrate their hard work. Congratulate them! Not only did they create informative pieces of writing, but they did so in English. Students continue to adapt their language choices to various contexts as they create bullet points to demonstrate their learning.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to complete and compile their work with the time given. Emphasize to these students and to the rest of the class that everybody is working hard and that everyone works at a different pace. Because students may feel overwhelmed by the volume of revisions remaining, strategize with them as to how they can maximize the remainder of their time. To build confidence, prioritize aspects in feedback that are already well developed but can be strengthened even more. Examples: revise the focus statement in the introduction and/or conclusion; choose five critical words to revise for word choice.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite students to analyze a model bullet point and develop a short list of criteria for what makes a well-written bullet point. Example: bullet points are (1) short (2) may include the predicate and omit the subject of the sentence, or vice versa. Suggest that they share the criteria with students who need heavier support.

For heavier support:

  • Review the rules of the Freaky Frog game as necessary. The rules might be too complex for some students to fully understand without practice playing the game or experience playing similar games. Consider using the Fishbowl protocol to play a round of the game for the entire class before students play together in their small groups.
  • Since this lesson is focused on celebration and presentation of their work, remind students that their audience is grade 2 and grade 3 students. Remind them that the purpose of the day's work is to put all of their hard work together into something beautiful and interesting. Show examples of more informational texts and ask them to imagine how they would like their books to look on the library shelf.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In order to facilitate effective learning during this lesson, ensure that all students have access to the directions in each activity, and feel comfortable with the expectations. Vary the ways in which you convey expectations for each activity or task. Consider engaging in a clarifying discussion about the directions, or creating an outline of the steps for each activity.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Some students may still be confused about how to play the Freaky Frog game. Consider using the Fishbowl protocol to play a round of the game for the entire class before students play together in their small groups.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Meet with any students who have a significant amount of revision to do in advance of the lesson. Help these students prioritize and focus their work. Allow for extra time in advance so that they do not miss out on the chance to play with their classmates during the lesson.  

Vocabulary

N/A

Materials

  • Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences homework practice (answers, for teacher reference)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (from Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Trading cards (from Lesson 12; one per student)
  • Trading Card Planning graphic organizer (from Lesson 12; one per student)
  • Final draft of Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog (from Lesson 11; returned in this lesson with teacher feedback; one per student)
  • Freaky Frog trading card game directions (one per student and one to display; see Performance Task Overview)
  • Freaky Frog book assembly suggestions (for teacher reference; see Performance Task Overview)
  • Paper (two pieces per student)
  • Stapler (one per group of four students)

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes)

  • Collect students' Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences homework practice. See Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences homework practice (answers, for teacher reference).
  • Focus students on the learning target. Select a volunteer to read the target aloud:

"I can organize my writing from the module and my trading card into an eye-catching information book."

  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner and cold call students to share out:

"What does eye-catching mean? Does it mean a book that will somehow hurt your eye?" (something that people will see on the shelf and want to pick up to read)

"Why does your Freaky Frog book need to be eye-catching?" (to make students in grades 2 and 3 want to pick it up to read it and learn more about frogs)

  • Focus students on the Performance Task anchor chart and review what writing from the module will be included in their Freaky Frog books.
  • For students who may need additional support understanding the terms in the learning targets: Write synonyms or descriptions above the key terms. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with motivation: Clarify the purpose of organizing writing to make an attractive book. Example: "We are proud of our work. We should put it all together so it looks beautiful for the reader." (MME)
  • For ELLs: To reinforce the purpose of their task, have students think about what impression they would like their book to give their reader when they look at it. Consider the prompt: "I would like readers to think my book looks _______." (cool, interesting, smart, fun, colorful, informative)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Completing Trading Card (15 minutes)

  • Invite students to take out their trading card and Trading Card Planning graphic organizer from Lesson 11.
  • Explain that students have 15 minutes to complete their trading cards before they need to move on to organizing all of their writing.
  • Circulate to support students in completing their trading cards.
  • For ELLs: If students worked in pairs in the previous lesson, have them work with the same partner.
  • For students who may need additional support with planning for writing Consider providing frames for each key fact ("Lives in ______," "Has (physical adaptation)," "Will (behavioral adaptation) when threatened," etc.). (MMAE)
  • For students who need additional support: Flag facts to consider using as key facts on their Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog, research notebooks, and other texts in advance.

B. Organizing Information into Freaky Frog Books (30 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Remind students that they are going to compile all of their writing from the module into a Freaky Frog book. Remind them that they have already completed a contents page for their book, so they can see the order their writing will go in.
  • Return each student's final draft of Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog with teacher feedback.
  • Invite students to review the teacher feedback. Explain that students with questions about the feedback should write their name on the board.
  • Invite students to collect all of their writing from this unit.
  • Distribute the Freaky Frog trading card game directions and explain that students will need to include a copy of these directions in their book so that people know how to play.
  • Tell students they will also need to add the directions to their contents page.
  • Select one student's work to use to model how to put the pages together and staple them. Also model how to make a pocket for the trading card. Refer to Freaky Frog book assembly suggestions (for teacher reference) for guidance.
  • Remind students that once all of their work is assembled, they will need to write page numbers on the pages and then on the contents page. Note that Page 1 should be the table of contents.
  • Distribute additional paper and staplers.
  • Circulate to support students in assembling their books.
  • Focus students on the learning targets. Read each one aloud, pausing after each to use a checking for understanding protocol for students to reflect on their comfort level with or show how close they are to meeting each target. Make note of students who may need additional support with each of the learning targets moving forward.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with sustained effort: If some students still need to finish their essays or trading cards, help them complete their work in a small group. (MME)
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Model adding the directions to the contents page. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Model writing page numbers for the class and remind them that page numbers are necessary for the reader to find information in their books.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Small Groups: Trading Card Game (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to get into groups of three. Each student in the group needs to have worked on a different freaky frog for the game to work.
  • Display the Freaky Frog trading card game directions and select a volunteer to read the directions aloud for the group.
  • Answer any clarifying questions.
  • Students may require additional preparation about what it looks like for everyone to enjoy a game with only one winner. This discussion would include how a winner should behave and how students who did not win should behave.
  • Invite students to begin playing.
  • If there is time, ask students to get into new groups of three to play again.
  • For students who may may need additional support with reading fluency: Invite them to practice reading the Freaky Frog trading card game directions in advance and then call on them to read aloud to the class during this lesson. Giving these students an opportunity for public success will build their confidence and internal motivation. (MMAE, MME)
  • For ELLs: If possible, group the students so that each group of three has at least one student who need lighter support and/or at least one student confident in playing the game. Alternatively, students who need lighter support who do not fully understand the game may team up with a more student who need lighter support with the same freaky frog. The two students can take turns playing within their group and strategize together.
  • For ELLs: With students, brainstorm a list of some possible reasons for each score band. Example:
    • Score of 1: The poison dart frog has a score of 1 because _____.
      • the poison can harm humans.
      • the bright orange color makes it easy for the Embera Choco hunters to find the frog.
      • it has a predator (the frog-eating snake) that can withstand the poison.

Homework

Homework

A. None. 

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